We hear a lot about Islamic fundamentalists terrorizing people in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, but seldom does the media acknowledge the atrocities taking place in sub-Saharan Africa, where the al-Qaeda-backed Ansar Dine is cruelly enforcing sharia...

It should be a battle between the killer B’s — “Boyhood” and “Birdman” — when the night’s biggest award is passed out Sunday at the 87th Academy Awards. The two films have split every industry and critic prize during the interminable awards season.

Will Smith can play comedy (“Men in Black”) and he can play drama (“Seven Pounds”). He’s done the bigger-than-life hero (“Ali”) and the slick wiseguy (“The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air”). In his newest film “Focus,” he delivers a serio-comic role as a...